Buses

The bus was great at first. I tried out a few different bus routes and found that if I put on some sturdy shoes and walked 10 minutes along a country path, I could get a fantastic view, say hello to some horses in the morning and encounter the smell of urine and sick much less frequently.

The peace and opportunity to sit, think, and pray was great initially, but the novelty wore off and the reality of the unreliability hit. Sometimes they don’t turn up, sometimes they drive past you, sometimes they are so full you have nowhere to sit – or someone sits on you (true story).

The whole journey was taking 45 minutes when everything went smoothly. A full 4.5 times longer than my previous commute. After trying this experiment for 4 months, it was time for something else.

Bicycles

A quick Google Maps search showed that I could apparently cycle the route in less than 20 minutes. Cycling didn’t last long.

There’s nowhere secure to keep the bike at work (I’ve had at least 3 bicycles stolen or majorly vandalised in Brighton in the past). Hills, which means arriving work drenched in sweat and smelling like the 48.

Walking

Another tap on the Google Maps app claimed that I could walk to work in 52 minutes. Normally I’m a bit quicker than than Google Maps, so this was putting walking at only marginally more than getting the bus.

I walked for many months, got slightly fitter and developed some nice muscle definition on my lower legs. This was great. Physical fitness is also great for mental well-being, so there were benefits there too.

But maintaining a 45ish minute walk meant keeping a quick walking pace up the whole time, twice a day, five days a week. Even after a long day at work, or when feeling tired in the morning.

Options that aren’t electric mopeds

What about an electric bicycle? I still had the issue of where to store it when at work. Despite this, I borrowed a friend’s electric bicycle to try it out. Brighton’s hills were still a problem. The electric part of the electric bicycle would frequently conk out on steeper (but common) inclines, leaving you with a very very very heavy bicycle to haul up the hill.

A car? Don’t be silly. Parking, petrol, traffic.

A petrol moped? I didn’t really consider this option, once I decided on an electric one.

So why an electric moped?

Electric vehicles seem like the future. Less maintenance needed as there’s less moving parts. They can be charged at home. The electricity used to charge can be generated in many different ways, some using finite fossil fuels, but some not. Petrol etc will run out eventually.

When you break down the total cost of ownership over three years (which I’ll do in another post), including buying the bike, equipment, MOT, CBT etc it works out only slightly more expensive than three years of Brighton bus tickets. And at the end of the three years you’re left with an asset.

Now my whole commute takes just over 20 minutes. That’s from walking out the door to arriving at my desk!

(Only 2x as long as before my move, but now I get to live in more beautiful part of the city, and afford a house)